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NOTES FROM THE GARDENS

17.3.15
This tiny beautiful flower belies what happens below the surface of the water. This aquatic carnivorous plant, Uricularia gibba (Floating Bladderwort) has ovoid traps along its underwater stems that when triggered (upon being touched), suck the prey into the bladder to be digested. Just like a science fiction movie! This photo was taken along the edge of the lily ponds, but it has also been present in the native garden ponds, where large patches of flowering stems emerge from the murky waters below.
Another gorgeous autumn bulb that emerges after the heat of summer is Colchicum speciosum (Autumn Crocus)This patch was moved from the Sunken Garden to the garden bed on the west side of the main building, where they are more easily seen and appreciated.
A new addition to the area outside reception (bed above the rain garden) is the spectacular Hibiscus coccineus (Scarlet Rose Mallow)
This water loving plant (from southern U.S.A. swamps/marshes) is being grown in a pot placed within a disused drainage pit (with outlet blocked). We intend to swap over various water loving plants throughout the year so there is an ongoing seasonal display. This hibiscus is a perennial, with its stout stems dying down to ground level each winter. A.S.

07.03.15
On several occasions over the past summer months I have smelt, rather than seen, this sweet smelling Cestrum nocturnum (night blooming jessamine). Considered a weed in coastal Queensland and N.S.W. it is also highly TOXIC and the Queensland Health Department even has a warning of its fragrance causing difficulty with breathing. The fruit are especially toxic. In subtropical India it is also known to attract snakes!
This beautiful spray of purple flowers from the Petrea volubilis (Purple Wreath) is considered an alternative to wisteria in tropical areas. The verbena- like flowers, each surrounded by 5 distinctive purple sepals, are produced over the warmer months. This woody climber is not one to smother or clamber over surrounding plants and will need a support on which to climb. This plant is on the fence line at the lower end of the rose garden.
Wow! These berries look good enough to eat! Wrong - unfortunately they're poisonous! This is Viburnum opulus, a wild species form of the well-known Snowball Bush (Guelder Rose), which is a sterile cultivar that doesn’t have fruit. This specimen can be located at the entrance to the rose garden under the Giant Sequoia.
A.S.read more...